Yellowstone this summer - Montana Owners Club

vickir · 02-23-2005, 01:09 PM

We are planning on spending about a month in the Yellowstone/Grand Teton area and would love to hear any suggestions about a good place to stay. We'll need full hookups so state/county parks are probably out of the question. Thanks!

HamRad · 02-23-2005, 04:52 PM

You are going to love it. Of course you know that already. Our only time in Yellowstone was without a trailer. We stayed in motels..... But we did look around for places to stay if we had a trailer. There is one CG right in the heart of the park that has full hookups. But it is very crowded and does not sound very nice. Plus you probably already need to have a reservation.

We stayed at West Yellowstone. Just a little west of the city is a KOA CG. I think it is supposed to be a really nice place. We did not actually visit it. Just read some stuff on it.... Having seen the general area I'd think it would be great.

I think my favorite location would be north of the park. There are several CGs right on the Yellowstone river that looked really nice. I remember visiting their webpage and it was really nice. If I can find the site I'll send it to you.

I remember stopping at the main CG at the Tetons and while it is an absolutely beautiful setting.... it was so crowded and touristy that I don't think I could spend more than a day or two there. There may be more remote CGs that I don't know about in the Tetons. There is a huge one down at Jackson Hole.... but again... it is so touristy that I'm not sure I could handle it.

By the way.... for those of you who don't do much boondocking.... We just completed a month on the road. About half of this time was spent in true boondocking places. And we survived. Actually we did better than that... we thrived. We were out where there were NO crowds. We did learn that the Honda 2000 generator lives up to and beyond it's reputation. Without it we could not have enjoyed our trip as well as we did. So Steve and Vicki..... go for it. It can be done and it opens up a whole new world. Now I'll admit I would not do this on my own. We were with some friends. So we had a mutual support system. Someday we may go out on our own bit for now it is much nicer with another couple or two.

Good luck and take lots of pictures. I think you could probably send one whole month just on the Old Faithful area. Wish we could be there with you.

HamRad

fulltimedreamer · 02-23-2005, 05:11 PM

Vicki,
In June of 2000 we stayed at the Yellowstone Grizzly RV Park in West Yellowstone, MT. According to my log book we paid $32.35 per night with full hookups and Good Sam discount. This was a relatively new park and the campers were packed in but everything was very clean and the management were helpful and friendly. It was convenient to walk in downtown West Yellowstone and was convenient to Yellowstone Park. It would be a pretty good drive over to the Tetons (other side of Yellowstone Park). Here is a link to their website:

http://www.grizzlyrv.com/

Hope this helps.

wswebster · 02-24-2005, 01:59 AM

Hi, first time responding after a year of "listening". We stayed in the Fishing Bridge Rv park in Yellowstone. We would do it again as we used it as our base camp for touring the park. Every loop is a day trip. Yes the Park was full, we made reservations a year in advance. We never saw our neighbors. We would leave in the morning and return around dinner time. One thing I would like to mention is we were there in July and the pollen off the pine trees was bad. A dusting of yellow pollen was on and in everything, good thing I have a medicine cabinet packed with anything and everything we would ever need. Hope this helps. Wish we could go again this summer but Son would like to get married at our home so we will be spending time on sprucing up the place.

Charlie · 02-24-2005, 03:01 AM

We were there about ten years ago and stayed at Colter Bay Village, it is in Teton Natl. Park, but best I remember is operated by an independent and not NPS. It was rather pricey, but great location right on Jackson Lake with full hookups, no cable, only one TV station on the antenna. I might suggest you might want to make reservations ASAP for this one.

http://www.gtlc.com/lodgeCBV.aspx

sreigle · 02-24-2005, 05:12 AM

Thanks everyone for some great information!

Bill & Stacey, you mentioned not seeing neighbors. Does that mean summer crowding was not a problem in terms of noise, etc.? How about shopping, particularly grocery shopping, pharmacy, etc. We'd be there for a month so those become important. Is it a long trip to these things? I like what I see of the park online (did a search) but we probably are too late to get in this year.

Will also look at Coulter Bay and West Yellowstone area. Since we want to do both Yellowstone (including Yellowstone Grizzly RV Park and the KOA, although we're not KOA fans) and Grand Tetons in that month we'd prefer not to be north of Yellowstone.

Dennis & Mary Kay, thanks to you, too. Hook up that big Ford and bring that Montana on out! We'll be there, if we can find a site this late.

Thanks again. In the next day or two I hope to select a CG and get a reservation. I've already emailed a couple of places while reading this thread and researching the info to see if they have monthly rates. Since they don't mention that on the websites, they probably don't.

wswebster · 02-24-2005, 05:35 AM

Yes the park was full of rv's, but it was really quiet. The only excitement was one morning in the next loop over rangers had to use firecrackers to scare off a bear. Most days we were sightseeyng, but one day we stayed in camp and if I remember it seemed like everyone else was gone. In Yellowstone there are stores for picking up supplies, even purchased a new sewer hose since my extra sprung a leak. Yellowstone has a great web page with webcams. You might want to check there might be a time limit on how long you can stay. Wouldn't hurt to ask. I know also Mammoth has a postoffice so there might be a pharmacy there if not there are towns close to or by all entrances to park. Hope this helps

sreigle · 02-24-2005, 06:24 AM

Thanks, Bill & Stacy. That does help. In the next day or two I need to make some decisions and try to get us booked into a park.

Rex & Mary · 02-24-2005, 08:17 AM

When we did Yellowstone we set up our base camp on the east side at Cody, WY. There is a museum there that will take you at least two days (three days if you're into firearms). Enjoy your trip!

sreigle · 02-24-2005, 11:53 AM

Thanks, Rex and Mary. You don't happen to recall the name of the park, do you? I can check it out. Thanks.

Go Pokes · 02-24-2005, 02:23 PM

The only camping area in Yellowstone with full hook-ups is at Fishing Bridge. This campground is rather tight. You are given a site in which your rig will just fit. We had to disconnect and park the truck on the side. We did not have the Montana so I do not know if the sights are big enough. The big advantage of staying in the park is that you can drive in the park early in the morning and late at night -- the best times for animal sightings. Also you avoid the lines at the gate in the mornings. If planning a month trip to the area and not staying in the park. I would probably spend a week in Cody and do the sites in that area. The museum is definitley a must. I believe we stayed at the KOA in Cody. Then I would move to West Yellowstone and do the sights in that area. Then spend time in Jackson Hole. When we were there the only place available was the KOA. We have a very large sight with grass and a lovely view of the Tetons. If you want to stay in the same place for a month, I would probably choose West Yellowstone because it is closer to the park than Jackson or Cody.

Rex & Mary · 02-24-2005, 08:20 PM

We stayed at the Gateway Motel and Campground. http://www.imt.net/~rodeo/gateway.html

Also check out the Buffalo Bill Historical Center.
http://www.bbhc.org

HamRad · 02-24-2005, 08:21 PM

Go Pokes,
Excellent info! I think that process would serve Steve and Vicki well.

HamRad

sreigle · 02-25-2005, 04:18 AM

Great information. Thanks everyone. It is very much appreciated. We'll probably elect to stay in one place for the month and do the miles on day trips. But I'll have to sit down this afternoon and check distances before we make that decision. Thanks again.

Go Pokes · 02-25-2005, 10:21 AM

Ask Bruce about getting the 3400 into the campgrounds in Yellowstone National Park. -- His answer, NO WAY WOULD HE TRY TO GET INTO ONE OF THOSE SPACES.

sreigle · 02-25-2005, 04:03 PM

I see the website says there are only a few suitable for big rigs so call for availability. Thanks for the info.

Montana_883 · 02-26-2005, 07:37 AM

We live in the Yellowstone area,HWY 20, Rigby, Idaho (We have a small farm).
Hebgan Lake, is a great place to spend a few days. There is a KOA between the lake and West Yellowstone, and several camp grounds around the lake with full hook-ups. On the Jackson Hole side of the Yellowstone, I recommend Jackson Lake campground, there are many others in the area too. If you plan on staying in the Park, see the Web Site.
If you like fly fishing, this area is great. The Snake river is about in our back yard. All the MOC folks are welcome to drop by on there way through, we have plenty of room, just give us a heads-up.

sreigle · 02-26-2005, 02:24 PM

Thanks for the info!

I spent the afternoon researching the parks mentioned here plus what I found in my directories - Passport America, Escapees, Trailer Life, and Woodalls. Getting reservations for that time frame proved to be a bit difficult. The KOA says they can get us in if we book right now but do not have a monthly rate. Best they can do for us, after the KOA Value Kard discount, is $49.50 per night, or $1,534.50 plus tax for the 31 days. So I kept looking.

We ended up shifting plans a little to make Yellowstone doable for us this summer. We'll go to Glacier NP first, then to Yellowstone, then to the rally in Reno, NV. That puts us in Yellowstone from 8/15 to 9/15 and is more doable for the parks. We endup up with a reservation at Red Rock RV Park, a relatively small park (58 sites). It's a pretty new park, so big trees is not their strength but the view from the park looks really beautiful. The park is 3/4 mile from the south end of Henry's Lake, is 5 miles from US 20 so is quiet, and is 20 miles SW of West Yellowstone. The park's address is Island Park, ID, but it's not as far south as Island Park. The 25 miles to the park entrance is more than I'd like but we've done more. And the price is the best part. Full hookups, 30amp, for that time period will cost us $350 for the month. Electricity included. For $375 we could use 50amp service but we really don't need 50 amps. The park's website is
http://www.8004redrock.com . Trailer Life rates it as a 9.

Thanks again to everyone who replied. Even though we didn't end up in one of those parks, the input was a big help. We just waited too long. Now to see if we can get in somewhere near Glacier NP in July.

Lazeelj, sounds like you have a beautiful place there!

patodonn · 02-26-2005, 05:46 PM

Steve:

We were at Grizzly in W. Yellowstone just after Labor Day. Very nice place, however, it is $$....but everything is in W. Yellowstone! Came to about $40/day for 4 days, taxes and all, but I may have had a propane fill included in that $$.

Plan on every "loop" trip as a day trip. Our traffic problems were minimal, since it was after Labor Day, but it can get pretty congested.

Anything you need can probably be found in W. Yellowstone. Don't miss the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in W. Yellowstone!

We came in from the North, from Bozeman, down the Gallatin River. Beautiful drive. I seem to recall a couple of RV parks fairly near W. Yellowstone, but they were not outstanding in my memory...and they were a bit outside of town, as I recall. There was one inside the Park, not too far from the West Gate, as I recall. Nancy says it looked sort of OK..I have no recollection of it.

Have a great time!

Best,

PJ

sreigle · 02-27-2005, 06:28 AM

Thanks, PJ. I hear the nearest two walmarts are 60 miles south and 90 miles north. I assume there's a pharmacy around there so as long as they participate with Blue Cross we'll be fine. Being there a month, Rx refills are a must. But we could always make a trip to the nearest Walmart.

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